Noah Kahan Calls “Hannah Montana” a ‘Cultural Icon’ at 2026 Grammys (Exclusive)

Charna FlamMon, February 2, 2026 at 2:18 AM UTC

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Noah Kahan is sharing how the former Disney Channel character has helped him embrace life in the public eye

In a conversation with PEOPLE on the 2026 Grammys red carpet, Kahan credits the fictional popstar for showing him how to "turn off" his musician persona

He also calls the fictional singer "a cultural icon"

Noah Kahan embraces his inner Hannah Montana at industry events.

While the Grammy nominee spoke exclusively with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, he revealed how he navigates life as a musician and a newlywed. The Grammy-nominated “Stick Season” singer, 29, tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend in September 2025.

Kahan tells PEOPLE that he's learned how to do a "pretty good job of doing the Hannah Montana thing," explaining, "I can do this [awards show], and then I can turn off and be myself."

"So I found a really good balance," he says. "It's taken a lot of time, but I found that balance, and I'm happy about that."

Kahan defended his Hannah Montana reference, saying, "She's a cultural icon."

Noah Kahan on Feb. 1

Brianna Bryson/WireImage

Kahan's comments come two days after he dropped his latest single, “The Great Divide,” which touches on the divide between his public persona and personal life. The latest single will be on his fourth studio album of the same name.

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The Great Divide drops on April 24. Ahead of its release, he told PEOPLE that he "felt this real gap growing" between the divides of his life before and after he rose to fame.

"I started to think about [the] divide in my life, whether that was the divide between me and this old version of me, or me and the people that I used to know growing up, or the people that are in my life that I’m still trying to keep a relationship with.”

Kahan said the song emerged as he wondered what exactly he’d say to all of those people if they were standing right in front of him.

“This song in particular is really about two people who grew up together, but maybe didn’t know each other as well as they thought,” he said. “A lot of my life recently has been realizing the things I wish I could have said to people and the things I wish I could have done differently, and so this song is kind of just an expansion of that.”

Kahan was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Cowboys Cry Too" with Kelsea Ballerini at the 2025 Grammys. He was also nominated for Best New Artist in 2024.

The Grammys are broadcasting live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS or stream them live and on-demand on Paramount+.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”